Juneteenth
Juneteenth celebrated recently
- A portmanteau of “June” and “Nineteenth”
- Oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
- On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the freedom of all enslaved people within the rebellious states.
Mirage 2000
Qatar offered to sell 12 Mirage 2000 fighter aircrafts to India.
- A supersonic combat aircraft with maximum speed of Mach 2.2.
- Manufacturer – Dassault Aviation, France
- Significance – Can carry laser guided bombs, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles and has a Thomson-CSF RDY (Radar Doppler Multi-target) radar on board.
- 1st commissioned in – Indian Air Force in 1985
- Played a decisive role in 1999 Kargil war and operation Bandar of 2019.
Gas Flaring
Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report has been released by the World Bank.
- Key Findings –
- Global gas flaring in 2023 has increased by 7% from 2022 leading to a rise of 23 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
- Major Contributor – Russia, Iran, Iraq, USA, etc.
- Gas flaring – Refers to burning of the natural gas associated with oil extraction.
- Key Measures taken – Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 (ZRF) initiative (World Bank).
UPPAP (UP-PRAGATI Accelerator programs)
KisanKraft Limited has joined the Low Methane Rice project (LMRP) under UPPAP to promote the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) in Uttar Pradesh.
- LMRP – An initiative of World Bank’s 2030 Water Resource Group (WRG).
- WRG – A multi-donor trust fund hosted by the World Bank Group.
- UPPAP – Aims to bring about significant agricultural advancements and boost incomes across the state by promoting water-use efficiency and low-carbon practices through technological and institutional innovations.
- Launched by – Uttar Pradesh Multi-Stakeholder Platform, and is supported by 2030 WRG.
- Implementation – Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Nord Stream
New Study reveals thousands of tonnes of methane may have dissolved in Baltic Sea.
- Comprises a network of offshore pipelines (Nord Stream 1 and 2) supplying natural gas from Russia to northern Germany.
- Pipelines pass through the territorial waters and/or Exclusive Economic Zones of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
- Impacts of Leakage – High concentration of methane in water may have promoted the growth of methanotrophic bacteria.